With the sweeping hysteria surrounding the Nexus 5 release, one thing struck us as odd: no mention of Verizon. Once again, the nation’s largest carrier is refusing to carry a Nexus phone. The last one big red supported was the Galaxy Nexus, and users where underwhelmed with the support it received.
Verizon also created a stir when they refused to activate a Nexus 7 tablet a few weeks ago, saying it wasn’t “approved”. While they have very little wiggle room with that argument, the stalemate continues, with the tablet having not been activated yet. It was the latest in a series of snubs VErizon has given Google’s flagship line of devices.
Android chief Sundar Pichai tells The Verge that Verizon will definitely not be getting the Nexus 5, but there are a “set of projects” Google is working on with Verizon. While Pichai wasn’t forthcoming about what this plans were, the song remains the same in regard to Nexus devices. Oddly enough, the nation’s other CDMA carrier, Sprint, will get the Nexus 5. That leaves Verizon entirely to blame for the Nexus 5 issue.
Just what “projects” are in the works remains to be seen, but it could be a bit of double-speak. Motorola has tightened their bond with Verizon by offering the DROID lineup exclusively to Verizon, and Motorola is a Google company. It could just be more Motorola devices, or something altogether abstract. When 2014 comes around, we’ll be sure to keep an ear out for more news.